1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to headlamp assemblies for motor vehicles, and, more particularly, to improved arrangements for protecting a headlamp assembly which incorporates both a main lamp and a side-light bulb from the ingress of contaminants.
2. The Prior Art
A typical previously-proposed headlamp assembly comprises an optical unit mounted within an outer shell having front and rear openings. The optical unit comprises a front lens occupying the front opening of the shell, a reflector, a main lamp mounted on or adjacent the optical axis of the reflector, and a side-light bulb held in a side-light lamp-holder offset from the said optical axis. A window was provided in the reflector for the side-light bulb; more specifically, the reflector had an opening within which the side-light lamp-holder itself was mountd, with the interposition of a sealing ring. The components of the optical unit were partially protected from contaminants by a protective cap fitted over the rear opening of the outer shell, and having a smaller opening through which electrical leads pass to supply current to the main lamp and the side-light bulb.
The use of such a protective cap could not prevent contaminants which had penetrated into the space between the outer shell and the reflector from reaching the connections between the electrical leads and the main lamp and the side-light bulb.
Also, the opening in the reflector for the side-light lamp-holder has to be fairly large.
Finally, the replacement of a side-light bulb required the protective cap to be separated from the optical unit, to gain access to the side-light lamp-holder.